College hosts 20th annual Kansas City Japan Festival

Hundreds flocked to the college on Saturday, Oct. 7 to celebrate the 20th annual Kansas City Japan Festival, a convention which hosted a large variety of workshops, performances, parades and merchants.

One felt like they were transported to a different world upon stepping into the Carlsen Center atrium. There were people everywhere from all walks of life, from students, diplomats, and even Samurai. It was a shmorgishborg of all things Japan.

Accompanying this were a variety of events from traditional dance acts and drum shows, to bonsai tree tutorials and cosplay contests.

“I got to watch the drum performance in the big auditorium, it was amazing,” Smith said. “There were a lot of people that watched it.”

The festival spanned half of the campus including the Carlsen Center and Regnier Center, with the latter used mostly for special Japanese cuisine.

Alongside food, there were plenty of other items in stock including clothing and traditional artisan crafts.

Festival attendee Sarah Faulkner said she took advantage of the fair prices offered at the festival and purchased several items at the event.

“I bought this Kimono and these paintings here,” Faulkner said. “They were all decently priced for what they were.”

The nature of the event enticed many people to come dressed as their favorite colorful characters, providing a good people-watching experience for those who attended.

“I saw mermaids, [anime] cosplayers and even a girl with a computer stuck through her head,” Faulkner said. “It was so strange, but fun.”

Indeed, the JapanFest contained much more than traditional Japanese arts and workshops. The third floor of CC was almost completely dedicated to anime with massive libraries of manga filling up entire classrooms. There was also plenty of anime-themed merchandise and a cosplay contest.

“It was [anime] central over there on the third floor,” Faulkner said. “I didn’t do any cosplay or anything, but I did a few years ago.”

More information about the Kansas City Japan Festival can be found on their website.

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On the second floor of the Carlsen Center, several people examine Japanese bonsai trees. The art of growing bonsai trees is a Japanese tradition that goes back over a thousand years. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

Several bazaars containing Japanese items were open on both the second and third floors of the Carlsen Center. Many of the bazaars contained both modern and traditional items, but most popularly were items related to anime. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

A group of festival goers play a strategy game called “Go”. The objective of the game is to surround more territory than the opponent. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

A performer demonstrates a traditional dance inside of the Polsky Theatre. Throughout the day, several performances were made in various theatres within the Carlsen Center. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

Two cosplayers draw on a whiteboard in one of the several bazaar rooms in the Carlsen Center. Many festival goers were also cosplayers, a subculture highly influenced by Japanese anime. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

Aya Uchida, a Japanese musician and artist, greets a group of Japanese men at the festival. Uchida sold several of her CD’s and gave a performance alongside Jo Yamanaka in the afternoon. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

A large crowd gathers in the Carlsen Center to participate in the 20th annual Kansas City Japan Festival. The festival hosts a wide array of activities including workshops, performers and several markets. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

A group of performers poses for a picture at the entrance of the festival. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

Several performers play drums for an audience inside of the Carlsen Center. The festival not only features traditional Japanese music performances but also modern music including pop and hip-hop. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

A crowd observes a group of performers play traditional Japanese drums. Within the last several decades interest in Japanese culture has grown amongst Americans. Photo by Andrew Hartnett, The Campus Ledger

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